Samsung, SK Hynix Performance Bonuses Ripple into College Admissions, Real Estate Markets

Amidst the recent boom in the semiconductor industry, analyses suggest that performance bonus payouts from SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics are influencing university admissions and the real estate market.

The substantial performance bonuses from semiconductor companies have affected university admissions. Students are considering enrolling in semiconductor-focused contract departments, leading to the emergence of a new term, 'UIH-YAK-SU-BAN,' which refers to students aspiring for medical, dental, Korean medicine, pharmacy, and semiconductor-related departments alongside traditional top-tier fields.

SK Hynix agreed in September last year through labor-management negotiations to pay out bonuses equivalent to 10% of its operating profit without a cap. This resulted in multi-million dollar bonuses being distributed, drawing significant attention. SK Hynix's case has become the basis for the Samsung Electronics union's demand for approximately 45 trillion won in bonuses as they gear up for protests.

The performance bonuses from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have also impacted the real estate market, with apartment complexes located near both companies' shuttle bus stops—dubbed 'Double Shuttle Stop Zones'—seeing transaction prices surge by 20%.